Abstract
Total phenolic and flavonoid contents and antioxidant properties of extracts and essential oils of the aerial parts of Teucrium polium growing in Tunisia were evaluated. Total phenolic and flavonoid contents of extracts ranged from 48.88 +/- 0.01 to 400.00 +/- 0.01 mg of GAE/g and from 2.75 +/- 0.01 to 38.85 +/- 0.04mg of QE/g, respectively. GC/MS analysis of essential oils led to identification of 71 compounds representing 89.66% of the total composition. Antioxidant activities were assessed using the DPPH. (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging activity, beta-carotene bleaching, and reducing power. The best overall antioxidant activity was recorded for acetone extracts, with a strong positive correlation between the total phenolic content and the IC50 value of DPPH (R (2)=0.9999), attributed to the polyphenolic content.